Secretary’s Office for Strategy and Coordination (SEC)
of the Ministry of Health of the Catalan Government

The autonomous region of Catalonia has had full competences in health services since 1981, as part of the decentralised Spanish health system, based on the common principles of universality, equity and gratuity. The central government collects public taxes and social security contributions and transfers the budget to the regions.

The Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) has developed its own organisational model based on the historical evolution of the Catalan health system. The Ministry of Health (Departament de Salut, DS) is also the highest authority for the definition, planning and development of healthcare services in Catalonia, acting as a purchaser of services and defining the guidelines and strategy for health provision. Finally, it is responsible for the promotion and protection of individual and collective health.

The Secretary’s Office for Strategy and Co-ordination (SEC) has the highest responsibility within the DS in establishing planning strategies on healthcare policy in order to reach the highest efficiency possible in all actions, aimed at guaranteeing the right to healthcare protection, evaluating their results, and co-ordinating the educational and research activities in the field of health sciences.